See the IMpact of IM® Math
IM Math is helping schools and districts improve student learning outcomes
Across schools and districts using IM Math, students are building understanding, strengthening fluency, and making measurable progress over time. These examples offer a snapshot of what is possible when curriculum, professional learning, and implementation supports work together as one coherent approach.
Additional learning per year compared to similar schools not using IM Math, per Leanlab Education’s analysis.
Math proficiency gain in grades 3–8, 2022 to 2025, nearly doubling the share of students scoring proficient.
Math proficiency in grades 3–8 over three years, while the lowest-performing level nearly halved.
Higher average score on the Acadience Math Assessment (grades K–4), among 251 matched students using IM Math as distributed by Imagine Learning.
IMpact in the News
These school districts in Iowa are improving math scores. Here’s how.
Iowa City Press-Citizen · Aug 24, 2026
Gilbert Community Schools reached 91% math proficiency on the 2025 Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, 20 points above the state average. District leaders credit IM Math as part of their approach, alongside cognitively guided instruction and more frequent progress monitoring.
Brandywine School District Highlighted for Strong Math Growth
Education Scorecard (Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth researchers) · May 2026
A case study of this Wilmington, Delaware, district credits its academic growth to instructional coherence and sustained professional learning, including the adoption of IM Math in middle school mathematics.
Region 14 Schools Lauds District-Wide Accomplishments
Voices (Prime Publishers) · Jan 21, 2026
In its third year using IM Math at the elementary level, Connecticut’s Region 14 reported that 75% of Bethlehem Elementary students reached math proficiency on the state assessment, the school’s highest rate since the test began.
After a $45 million math curriculum overhaul, Philadelphia sees results
Chalkbeat Philadelphia · Jan 15, 2026
Chalkbeat reports that Philadelphia students’ average math scores reached their highest level in nine years following the district’s adoption of IM Math.
Third-grade math proficiency has nearly doubled since 2021 in Pittsburgh Public Schools, where students learn with IM Math. District leaders say attendance is the next lever for sustaining the gains.
St. Mary’s Springs Academy exceeds expectations in latest school report card
Radio Plus · Nov 14, 2025
The Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, school earned its highest-ever state report card score, with math achievement up 8.1 points. School leaders credit their instructional initiatives, including IM Math.
89,000
teachers use IM Certified curricula in their classrooms
2,300
school districts partner with an IM Certified partner
3.4 million
students learn with IM Certified curricula
123,000
educators have strengthened their practice with IM Certified Professional Learning since 2019
Explore the evidence and stories behind the results
Outcome studies and reviews
Conducted by Leanlab Education, a nonprofit research organization · 2026
Schools using IM Math in Los Angeles gained the equivalent of three to four additional months of learning per year compared with similar schools not using IM Math, according to Leanlab’s matched-comparison analysis of LAUSD assessment data.
Conducted by the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University, in partnership with Imagine Learning · 2026
In a statewide quasi-experimental study of 3,128 California schools, schools in districts using IM Math from Imagine Learning, an IM Certified curriculum distribution partner, showed significantly higher math achievement on state assessments than matched comparison schools. The study was designed to What Works Clearinghouse standards and used public California Department of Education data.
Conducted by the Center for Research in Educational Policy, commissioned by Imagine Learning · 2024
Students using IM Math from Imagine Learning, an IM Certified curriculum distribution partner, showed significantly higher math achievement than matched peers using other programs, with the strongest gains in the early grades, in a quasi-experimental evaluation using propensity score matching.
Rated by Evidence for ESSA; study commissioned by Imagine Learning · 2023
A study of roughly 3,000 students across 16 Missouri elementary schools found statistically significant positive effects in math achievement. Evidence for ESSA rated the evidence Tier 2, or “Moderate,” under the federal evidence framework.
Conducted by WestEd · 2025
In the first causal study of IM Math and student achievement, Massachusetts middle schools that adopted IM Math before the COVID-19 pandemic significantly outperformed comparable schools by the third year of implementation. The study drew on 71 schools. The findings also underscore that results depend on implementation conditions, not materials alone.
Conducted by Imagine Learning · 2024
Math proficiency on Michigan state assessments rose following Birmingham Public Schools’ adoption of IM Math from Imagine Learning, an IM Certified curriculum distribution partner, which paired adoption with districtwide, curriculum-based professional learning.
By Illustrative Mathematics · 2026
A year-long study of Flint Cultural Center Academy found that students using IM Math outperformed their peers, and that the gains grew from a schoolwide strategy pairing the curriculum with committed leadership, teacher collaboration, and ongoing professional learning.
Conducted by EdReports · 2025–2026
IM Math v.360 earned all-green ratings across every grade band in EdReports’ review of focus, coherence, rigor, and teacher and student supports.
Conducted by the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University, commissioned by Imagine Learning · 2023
In a quasi-experimental study of more than 6,000 students in Missouri’s Fort Zumwalt School District, students in grades 4–5 using IM Math from Imagine Learning, an IM Certified curriculum distribution partner, significantly outperformed comparison students on the state math assessment, while students in grades 7–8 made significantly larger gains on district benchmark assessments. Students with disabilities showed some of the strongest gains at both levels.
IM Math case studies
Case study · By Illustrative Mathematics
Greeley-Evans School District 6
What it took to bring problem-based instruction to every K–5 classroom in Greeley-Evans School District 6, told through candid perspectives from teachers, leaders, and students. The district uses IM Math from Imagine Learning, an IM Certified curriculum distribution partner.
Case study · By Illustrative Mathematics
Educators share how IM 6–8 Math helped every student build confidence, find their voice, and access grade-level mathematics.
Case study · By Illustrative Mathematics
How a large district built a high school math culture with IM 9–12 Math, where students think deeply and teachers feel supported.
Case study · By Illustrative Mathematics
Why a college-prep network chose IM 6–8 Math as central to its vision of high-quality instruction that meets the needs of all students.
Case study · By Illustrative Mathematics
How teacher collaboration, professional learning, and a rigorous curriculum create consistent, meaningful opportunities for students to do the math and own their learning.
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